5 Morning Routines to Boost Your Productivity

Mornings are hard. Your morning routines (or lack thereof) can set the tone for your entire day, so it’s important to find a consistent set of activities to bring structure to those early hours. Having a morning routine leads to a multitude of benefits, such as reducing stress, boosting energy, and increasing productivity throughout the day, so we’re sharing some tips to help you perfect your morning routine:

1. Go to bed at a reasonable hour the night before
2. Don’t press snooze
3. Stay off your phone
4. Have a healthy breakfast
5. Organize your day

1. Go to Bed at a Reasonable Hour the Night Before

Before you binge-watch a series late into the night, remember the importance of beauty sleep. A good night’s rest is essential for balancing your hormones, keeping your immune system in check, and regenerating your brain and body – without it, your mood, concentration, and energy levels will suffer. Adults need 7–9 hours of sleep for optimal function, so you can’t have a productive day without a good night’s sleep.

Bed times are for adults, too. Make sure you get to sleep on time, and stay away from screens one hour before you go to bed, as blue light affects your circadian rhythm. Instead, try winding down with a cup of herbal tea and a book.

2. Don’t Press Snooze

When you hit snooze, the only thing you accomplish is giving yourself less time in the morning. Set your alarm for a reasonable hour that gives you enough time to wake up and do your morning routine. When your alarm goes off, open your eyes and stretch to wake yourself up. Don’t hit snooze – better yet, disable it on your phone or alarm clock. Once you’re out of bed, you’ll appreciate the extra time you have in the morning – more than the few extra minutes of sleep you could have gotten.

3. Stay Off Your Phone

For many of us, the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is look at our phones. Endless scrolling contributes nothing to your morning routine. You may think you’ve only spent five minutes on social media, but you could easily get sucked into the wormhole and waste your whole morning away!

Set your phone aside until after you’ve completed your morning routine. Your messages, emails, and news can wait until you have some free time later in the day. (Pro tip: Delete time-wasting apps on your phone or reduce screen time by setting a limit for how much time you spend on an app per day.)

4. Have a Healthy Breakfast

Instead of reaching for a sugary bowl of cereal, eat a balanced breakfast filled with protein – such as eggs and whole wheat toast. This will keep you full longer and give you the energy you need to accomplish tasks throughout the day. It will also keep you from snacking later in the day. If you don’t feel like cooking in the morning, you can prepare a pre-made breakfast the night before, like these overnight oats.

5. Organize Your Day

Grab a cup of coffee, sit down with your pen and paper, and write out your to-do list for the day. Having a plan in place will allow you to accomplish your goals instead of putting them on hold for another day. Prioritize your tasks, putting the most pressing ones at the top of the list, and give yourself the satisfaction of checking off each task on your list once you’ve accomplished it. If you’d like to make your to-do list on your phone or computer, try out this app, which you can customize by adding events and deadlines so you don’t forget anything important.

Customize Your Routine

No more rushed mornings, skipped breakfasts, and stressful days! It’s time for you to reap the benefits of a morning routine. This is a basic guide for what your morning could look like, but you can build different activities into your routine that suit you, such as exercise or meditation. It’s good to experiment with your morning routine to figure out what works best for you.

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How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome as a Freelancer 10 Evening Routines to Set You Up for Success How to Take Effective Breaks (And Maximize Your Productivity) 5 Tips for Writing Better To-Do Lists